Architecture for combining media processing with networking

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for processing media streams for transport over a network based on network conditions. An integrated circuit comprises a media processing unit coupled to receive feedback from a network processing unit. The media processing unit converts a media stream from a compressed input stream to a compressed output stream such that the compressed output stream has characteristics that are best suited for the network conditions. Network conditions can include, for example, characteristics of the network (e.g., latency or bandwidth) or characteristics of the remote playback devices (e.g., playback resolution). Changes in the network conditions can result in a change in the conversion process.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/549,579 entitled “Architecture for Combining Medial Processing with Networking,” filed on Oct. 13, 2006, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/448,447 entitled “Dynamically Changing Media Compression Format in Compressed Domain,” filed on Jun. 6, 2006, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/758,776, filed Jan. 12, 2006, each of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Art

The present invention relates generally to computer processors, and more specifically, to a processor to operate on compressed streams of digital media in accordance with network conditions.

2. Description of Related Art

Conventionally, multimedia such as video and audio has been delivered using analog delivery mediums such as NTSC (National Television System Committee) signals, and has been stored using analog storage mediums such as video cassette recorders. The analog signals typically contain uncompressed frames of video. Thus, a significant part of the electronic components in a display device are dedicated to analog receiving hardware, and if the display device has a digital output, electronic components are needed to convert the analog signal to a digital signal. With the advent of digital delivery mediums, such as ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) signals, and of digital storage mediums and DVDs, multimedia can be delivered and stored using pure digital signals. Digital signals typically contain compressed frames of video.

Meanwhile, consumers and business have an increasing number of digital playback devices such as high-definition televisions, digital video recorders, MP3 players and the like. However, the digital playback devices are typically independent of each other. Furthermore, the digital playback devices are likely to use a digital format that is optimized for particular storage and playback capabilities. For example, a high-definition television can use a conventional high-definition signal, but a standard-definition television or a portable video player typically uses a digital signal with different characteristics. Differences in digital formats can include encoding, bit rate, resolution, and the like.

Due to differences in conventional playback devices, there are limits in the types of digital formats that can be input and output from the devices. In order to handle more digital formats, the complexity of related hardware increases exponentially. One reason for this is that the digital formats are typically decompressed in order to perform operations in the spatial domain to make use of legacy analog techniques which operate on decompressed video. Decompressed multimedia, especially video, requires bulky processing hardware to handle the high bandwidth for data transfers. Decompressed video also requires significant amounts of storage.

In addition, when streaming media to remote devices over a network, the processing device can be unaware of varying conditions encountered outside of the processing device. For example, network conditions are constantly changing, and the changes affect how the media stream is received (e.g., latency and dropped packets). Once received, a display device may have varying display capabilities. For example, the media stream may have a bitrate that is beyond what the display device is able to handle (e.g., high-definition signal sent to a mobile device).

Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods to process digital media streams while accounting for effects of network conditions.

SUMMARY

The present invention includes systems and methods for processing media streams for transport over a network based on network conditions. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit comprises a media processing unit coupled to receive feedback from a network processing unit. The media processing unit converts a media stream from a compressed input stream to a compressed output stream such that the compressed output stream has characteristics that are best suited for the network conditions. Network conditions can include, for example, characteristics of the network (e.g., latency or bandwidth) or characteristics of the remote playback devices over a network (e.g., playback resolution). Changes in the network conditions can result in a change in the conversion process.

In one embodiment, the network processing unit comprises a network conditions detector. The network conditions detector can insert probe packets into a packet stream output to the network, and analyze response packets in a packet stream received from the network. For example, the network conditions detector can determine capabilities of a networked device or throughput of the network.

One or more networked devices can be coupled to the network to receive and display the media stream in the compressed output format. A networked device can be, for example, a display device (e.g., a plasma television), a set-top box (e.g., a digital video recorder), a personal computer, a cellphone, a wireless PDA and the like.

Advantageously, the integrated circuit is responsive to changes in network delivery capabilities, and changes in display capabilities of networked devices.

The features and advantages described in the specification are not all inclusive and, in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specifications, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The teachings of the present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an integrated circuit for processing streams of media based on networking conditions according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a media processing unit of the integrated circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a conversion unit of the media processing unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a network processing unit of the integrated circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a system for video distribution using the integrated circuit according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a high-level flow chart illustrating a method for generating compressed output streams according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is a high-level flow chart illustrating a method for generating compressed output streams based on current network conditions according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing media streams that remain compressed during processing according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method for adjusting the compressed output stream, responsive to network conditions, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9( a) and 9(b) are a data flow diagram illustrating a method for changing the compression format of a media stream.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing in the compressed domain a frame of media of a first format to produce a frame of media in an intermediate compressed domain format.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing in the compressed domain a frame of media in an intermediate compressed domain format to produce a frame of media in a second format.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a method for combining two inputs in the compressed domain.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and methods for processing media streams for transport over a network based on network conditions are described. A media stream can be converted from a compressed input stream to a compressed output stream such that the compressed output stream has characteristics that are best suited for the network conditions. Network conditions can include, for example, characteristics of the network (e.g., latency or bandwidth) or characteristics of the remote playback devices (e.g., playback resolution). process. The compressed input stream can include a media stream that is compressed according to various protocols. In some cases, intra-frame compression and inter-frame compression is performed such that the frame is compressed individually, and with respect to surrounding frames. The compressed output stream can include a media stream that is compressed according to the same format or a different format, and according to the same parameters or different parameters, relative to the compressed input stream. During processing of the compressed input stream to generate the compressed output stream, full decompression of frames is not required.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an integrated circuit 100 for processing streams of media based on network conditions. Although the embodiment of FIG. 1 is described with reference to integrated circuit 100, other embodiments of a receiver module can be implemented, for example, across several integrated circuits or partially in software. Integrated circuit 100 comprises a media processing unit 110 and a network processing unit 120. Integrated circuit 100 can be implemented on a silicon wafer or other suitable material. In one embodiment, integrated circuit 100 is configured with multiple processing cores and the media and network processing units 110, 120 each operate from a dedicated core. Integrated circuit 100 can be part of, for example, a system for distributing high-definition audio/video signals from a video server or set-top box as described below in association with FIG. 5.

It is noted that some of the embodiments described herein are described with respect to processing in the compressed domain. However, processing in the compressed domain is merely an example of many possible variations. More specifically, some embodiments of integrated circuit 100 can process entirely in the compressed domain. Some embodiments can have a hybrid processing environment in which portions of processing (such as image scaling or reference frame processing) are performed entirely in the compressed domain and other portions of processing (such as intra-prediction or deblock filtering) are performed in the spatial domain. Processing in the spatial domain can include, for example, either partially decompressing or completely decompressing part of or all of a media stream.

A benefit of those embodiments in which at least some processing is performed in the spatial domain includes efficient compliance with conventional standards that specify processing in the spatial domain. By processing at least partially in the spatial domain, compliance with standards can be maintained for appropriate parts of the processing path, while advantageously processing at other parts of the path in the frequency domain to take advantage of such processing features as disclosed herein. Some embodiments perform processing entirely in the compressed domain, and can be flexibly configured to be compliant with standards that specify processing in the spatial domain. Other embodiments have a hybrid processing environment using partially the frequency domain and partially the spatial domain.

Integrated circuit 100 includes input/output (I/O) coupled to signal lines 111, 116, 112, 117, 113 respectively. Media processing unit 110 is coupled to line 111 for receiving a compressed input stream 121, line 116 for receiving raw video and audio input streams 131, line 112 for sending a compressed output stream 122 and line 117 for sending raw video and audio output streams 132. Network processing unit 120 is coupled to line 113 for sending and receiving network packets. Media processing unit 110 is communicatively coupled with network processing unit 120 via line 115 to send the compressed output stream, and via line 114 to receive network conditions as a feedback. Depacketized streams of media (i.e., media streams unpacked from network data packets) are sent over line 118.

In one embodiment, media processing unit 110 is adapted to convert compressed input stream 121 to compressed output stream 122. Parameters (e.g., scaling parameters or encoding parameters) associated with the conversion process can be determined by the network conditions. As network conditions change, for example, due to less network traffic, or when a networked device is changed from a standard resolution channel to a high resolution channel, the parameters can be updated. Compressed input and output streams 121, 122 can be encoded formatted under various audio/video protocols such as, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MP3, H.263, H.264, AVI, a RealVideo format, a Windows Media Player format, other video formats, other audio formats, and the like. Input and output raw streams can include raw HDTV, RGB, YCrCb video such a SMPTE 274 or 296, raw standard definition YCrCb video such as CCIR 656, other video formats, other audio formats, and the like. The formats can vary in characteristics such as bit rate and resolution. For example, a high-definition television signal using MPEG2 can be converted by media processing unit 110 to a standard-definition television signal to match display capabilities of the receiving device. The conversion can include one or more of transcoding, transrating, and transcaling, and the like. Additional processing such as image enhancement can also be performed. As will be apparent to one of skill in the art, the types of media discussed herein are intended to be exemplary, and other forms of compressed media and/or data may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In one embodiment, conversions are performed primarily (either partially or completely) in the compressed domain (i.e., using compressed frames), without the need for translation to the spatial domain (i.e., using uncompressed frames, or raw pixels). A frequency domain is one such example of a compressed domain, but other examples will be apparent to one of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. In one example, compressed input stream 121 is processed and output as either compressed output stream 122, raw output stream 132, or packetized output stream 124. In another example, raw input stream 131 is processed and output according to the same options. In another embodiment, media processing unit 110 can adjust conversion parameters responsive to network conditions that are fed back.

Network conditions can comprise information related to, for example, network latency, number of network hops, and decoding capabilities of network devices. For example, in response to relatively small network bandwidth the high-definition television signal can be reduced below standard-definition. In another embodiment, media processing unit 110 can dynamically adjust conversion parameters responsive to changing network conditions. One embodiment of media processing unit 110 is described in further detail below with reference to FIG. 2.

Network processing unit 120, at a high-level, is configured to packetize media streams and determine conditions associated with a network. In packetizing media streams, network processing unit 120 can convert data contained in output media signal 122 to network packets. Packetized output stream 124 can comprise TCP/IP packets, UDP/IP packets, ATM packets, and the like. In one embodiment, probe packets are inserted into packetized output stream 124 in order to invoke response packets. Network conditions 124 can be contained within, or determined from, the response packets. One embodiment of network processing unit 120 is described in further detail below with reference to FIG. 4.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of media processing unit 110 (FIG. 1) in further detail. Media processing unit 110 comprises a source capture 210, a conversion unit 220, and an output interface 230. Source capture 210 is coupled to conversion unit 220 via line 211, and conversion unit 220 is coupled to output interface 230 via line 212. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the various components of the media processing unit 110 can operate in either compressed or spatial domains.

Source capture 210 is coupled to receive and temporarily buffer compressed and/or raw input signals 121, 131 (e.g., in DRAM or SRAM). Source capture 210 can also receive input signals sourced by remote devices over line 118. In some embodiments, source capture 210 and output interface 230 can also perform various functions such as color space conversion, sample rate conversion, demodulating, digitizing, decoding, decryption, and the like. Source capture 210 will convert raw input signal 131 into the intermediary compression format. Output interface 230 is coupled to temporarily buffer and send compressed and/or raw output signals 122, 132. Output interface 230 will convert from the intermediary compression format to raw output signal 132. In some embodiments, output interface 230 can also provide functions such as an On Screen Display (OSD) overlay, Picture In Picture (PIP), and DVD subpicture overlay.

Conversion unit 220 is coupled to receive network conditions 123 fed back via line 114. One embodiment of conversion unit 220 is shown in the block diagram of FIG. 3. Conversion unit 220 includes a pipeline of processing components. A frame converter 310, an image enhancer 320, a scaler 330, and an encoder 340, are sequentially coupled to each other. Network conditions 123 are sent to scaler 330 and encoder 340 after processing by a controller 335. Frame converter 310 is also communicatively coupled to image enhancer 320 via line 311, and to scaler 330 and encoder 340 via line 312. Generally, conversion unit 220 transforms frames in compressed input stream 121 from a first compression format to an intermediary compression format. The intermediary compression format is a common format used by conversion unit 220 to perform manipulations as further described below. Conversion unit 220 then transforms frames from the intermediary compression format to a second compression format. A method for converting an input media stream in a first compression format to an intermediate media stream and then to an output media stream in a second compression format is described herein with reference to FIG. 9. In one embodiment, conversion unit 220 includes a controller (not shown) to manage the pipeline and determine compression parameters. The controller can also adjust pipeline operations in response to the network conditions.

Frame converter 310 performs the conversion from the first compression format to the intermediary compression format. In one embodiment, frame converter 310 selects an appropriate conversion table to map control and data fields between formats. The intermediary format can be a reference frame that is similar to an I-frame in that the frames are compressed (i.e., intra-compressed), but is independent of preceding or following frames (i.e., not inter-compressed). Thus, a media stream containing B-frames and P-frames, which depend on preceding and/or following frames, is decoded into self-decoding frames of the intermediary format.

The intermediary compression format describes frames in a compressed domain, rather than the spatial domain, thereby allowing more efficient operations and significantly less memory usage. In one embodiment, the intermediary compression format (i.e., the intermediate compressed domain format) can be encoded with uniform block sizes for more efficient processing of input and compressed output streams that use variable block sizes. Frame converter 310 extracts information during compression such as motion vectors and compression parameters that are fed to components further down the pipeline. Various features such as a deblock filter can be partially performed in the spatial domain. A method used by the frame converter 310, according to one embodiment of the present invention, is described herein with reference to FIG. 10.

Image enhancer 320 processes frames in either a compressed or spatial domain. In one embodiment, the processing removes mosquito noise, blockiness and other artifacts, and can deinterlace field-based images. Mosquito noise is a time dependent video compression artifact related to quantization. In one embodiment, image enhancement unit receives compression parameters from frame converter 310 to optimize quality.

Scaler 330 is configured to implement transcaling in either a compressed or spatial domain. Transcaling is performed by converting frames from a first frame size (e.g., 1080i) to a second frame size (e.g., 480p). In one embodiment, scaler 330 is coupled to controller 335 to receive network conditions 123. Controller 335 can determine an optimal amount of scaling to, for example, reduce the bitrate when the video is sent to a low bitrate display device. Transcaling parameters can be adjusted in accordance with network conditions 123.

Encoder 340 is configured to implement transcoding in the frequency and spatial domains. Transcoding is performed by converting between multiple types of protocols (i.e., from the first compression format to the second compression format via the intermediary compression format), in the frequency and spatial domains. Encoder 340 can select an appropriate conversion table and mechanism for mapping the intermediary compression format to the second compression format. In one embodiment, encoder 340 is coupled to receive network conditions 123 from controller 335, and can adjust transcoding parameters in accordance with the network conditions. Controller 335 can also make adjustments to encoding parameters based on feedback from encoder 340 (e.g., data rate feedback). The encoding parameters can be changed to, for example, reduce the bitrate, or encode in a format compatible with a display device. A method used by the encoder 340, according to one embodiment of the present invention, is described herein with reference to FIG. 11.

In one embodiment, encoder 340 can also implement transrating in the compressed domain. That is, while the compressed input stream can be encoded according to a first bit rate (e.g., 1.2 Mb/s) and frame rate (e.g., 30 fps), the compressed output stream can be reduced (or increased) to according to a second bit rate (e.g., 56 kb/s) and frame rate (e.g., 10 fps). The first bit rate can be a number of bytes per second needed to display frames at a predetermined rate. In one embodiment, control unit can determine the second bit rate and frame rate based on the network conditions.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating network processing unit 120 of integrated circuit 100 (FIG. 1) in further detail. Network processing unit 120 comprises a network conditions detector 410, a packetizer 420, a network interface 430, and a depacketizer 440, each coupled in communication. Note that the specific couplings illustrated in FIG. 4 are related to the data flow described, but couplings can have alternate configurations (e.g., each component can be coupled to each other through a single bus).

Network conditions detector 410 sends probe packets and receives response data packets via depacketizer 440. Also, network conditions detector 410 sends network conditions for use as described above. In one embodiment, network conditions detector 410 generates the probe packets to actively test various network conditions. Network conditions detector 410 examines the response packets for results. For example, a networked device can be pinged to determine network latency. In another example, a number of hops to a remote (i.e., networked) device can be determined. In still another example, display characteristics of a networked device can be detected. The network conditions can be contained in response packets (e.g., resolution or networked device), or determined from response packets (e.g., network latency based on a round trip times).

Packetizer 420 receives compressed output stream 122 and/or raw output stream 132 and outputs packetized output stream 124. In one embodiment, packetizer 420 embeds compressed output stream 122 and/or raw output stream 132 into a format appropriate for the medium (e.g., TCP/IP packets for a LAN) to generate packetized output stream 124. Several compressed output streams 122 and/or raw output streams 132 can be serviced at the same time. In another embodiment, packetizer 420 can make adjustments responsive to network conditions received from network conditions detector 420. For example, packet transmission can be temporarily suspended due to a buffer overflow at a remote device. Similarly, depacketizer 440 receives packetized streams over line 113. Depacketizer 440 can unpack the embedded streams. The streams are sent to media processing unit 110 over line 118 for processing and output. Depacketizer 440 can provide client capabilities to integrated circuit 100, allowing output to a display sourced by, for example, a remote server. Depacketizer 440 can send unpacked streams over line 118.

Network interface 430 sends and receives physical signals (e.g., electrical or electro magnetic signals) via line 113. Network interface 430 can be, for example, a radio transceiver (i.e., for wireless connections) or an Ethernet NIC (Network Interface Card) card. In one embodiment, network interface 430 provides a communication channel for sending probe data packets and receiving response data packets. Additionally, network interface 430 can send and receive data packets containing compressed and/or raw input and output streams.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a system 500 for video distribution using integrated circuit 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. System 500 comprises a video server 520 with integrated circuit 100 which is coupled to a media source 510, an attached display device 530, and a remote display device 540 through a network 599.

Video server 520 receives compressed and/or raw input stream 121, 131 from media source 510. Video server sends compressed output stream and/or raw 122, 132 to attached display device 530 and remote display device 540. In one embodiment, video server 520 can further comprise components (not shown) such as a mother board, a hard drive, and the like. The media source (e.g., a cable provider or a DVD player) produces a data stream in a first compression format for distribution by video server 520. Video server 520 can simultaneously produce compressed output stream 122 in a second compression format and packetized output stream compressed output stream 124 in a third compression format. In another embodiment, video server 520 produces multiple compressed or raw output streams 122, 132 or multiple packetized output streams 124 (i.e., either in the same or different compression formats). The various outputs can be from the same or from different media sources 510. Thus, video server 520 is capable of simultaneously processing multiple inputs and multiple outputs.

Attached display device 530 can be any output device directly connected to video server 520 (e.g., via a IEEE 1394, USB, or DVI cable). Attached display device 530 can have various display capabilities. For example, a high-definition television can have a resolution of 1080P or 720P or a portable video player can have a resolution of 320 by 240 which determines transcaling parameters of integrated circuit 100. The high-definition television can include an MPEG 2 decoder which determines transcoding parameters of integrated circuit 100.

Remote display device 540 can be any output device capable of communicating with video server 520 through network 599. For example, remote display device 540 can be a conventional television with a set-top box having network capabilities. The set-top box can contain a client to enhance communications with video server 520. In another example, remote display device 540 can be a cellphone or PDA. Remote display device 540 can also have integrated networking capabilities. In addition to the display capabilities already described, remote display device 540 can have a low bandwidth network connection which determines transrate parameters of integrated circuit 100.

FIG. 6A is a flow chart illustrating a method 600 for generating compressed output streams according to one embodiment of the present invention. A compressed input stream (e.g., compressed input stream 121) is received 610 in a first compression format (e.g., by integrated circuit 100).

The compressed input stream is processed 620 in an intermediary compression format (e.g., by media processing unit 110) as described below with reference to FIG. 7. Because frames of all formats can be converted to the intermediary format, regardless of how the frames were received or will be sent, the integrated circuit can be optimized for the intermediary format. For example, the intermediary format can use a uniform block size, and associated components can be designed specifically for the block size.

A compressed output stream (e.g., compressed output stream 112) is sent 630 in a second compression format (e.g., by network processing unit 120) as described below with reference to FIG. 8. In some embodiments, more than one input stream is processed, and in other embodiments, more than one output stream is output. The output stream can be sent to an attached display device (e.g., attached display device 530) or a remote display device (e.g., remote display device 540). In another embodiment, the output can be transferred to a storage medium for a time-shifted playback.

FIG. 6B is a flow chart illustrating a method 650 for generating compressed output streams based on network conditions according to one embodiment of the present invention. In addition to receiving 610 a media stream in a compressed input format, network conditions are received 625 as well. In response, the media stream in a compressed output format is sent 635. The output media stream has characteristics based on network conditions. Furthermore, if there is additional input 660, updated network conditions can be received 665 and accounted for in the output media stream. Network conditions can be obtained as described below with respect to FIG. 8.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method 620 for processing media streams that remain compressed during processing according to one embodiment of the present invention. Because the frames remain compressed during processing, additional hardware (e.g., processing and storage resources) for decompression to the spatial domain, and additional hardware for storing the relatively large decompressed frames, is not necessary.

Frames of the input stream are converted 710 from the first compression format to an intermediary compression format (e.g., in frame converter 310). When the conversion occurs, motion vectors and other compression parameters are extracted from the input stream. Generally, the motion vectors describe the motion of objects between frames. For example, a football trajectory can be described using mathematical vectors. Also, compression parameters can describe high and low frequency components that can cause artifacts such as mosquito noise or blockiness due to quantization.

Image enhancement is performed 720 in the intermediary format with compression parameters (e.g., by image enhancer 320). During image enhancement, frames are processed to remove noise and optionally deinterlace video. The compression parameters provide indications of how artifacts will manifest.

Frames are scaled 730 from a first resolution to a second resolution while in the intermediary format (e.g., by scaler 330). In one embodiment, the frames can use network conditions to determine the second resolution.

Frames are encoded 740 into the compressed output stream by reusing motion vectors (e.g., by encoder 340). The motion vectors can be reformatted for differences between the input and output streams. For example, if frames have been downsized, then the motion vector can be reoriented accordingly. In the example of the football trajectory, the general shape of the trajectory will remain the same while the height and distance of the trajectory are downsized. In one embodiment, network conditions affect encoding parameters. For example, a bit rate and frame rate of encoded frames can be set according to a minimum network bandwidth.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method 630 for generating output media signal, responsive to network conditions, according to one embodiment of the present invention. The compressed output stream is packetized 810 for delivery (e.g., by packetizer 420) through a network (e.g., network 599). Network conditions can be discovered using various techniques such a pinging and trace routing. In addition, one or more probe packets can be formed according to a protocol recognizable by a networked device. The networked device can use response packets to send corresponding information. For example, the networked device can be queried for display capabilities such as resolution, types of decoders, or buffer state (e.g., how full is a buffer). The media processing can be adjusted 830 responsive to network conditions.

FIGS. 9( a) and 9(b) are a data flow diagram illustrating a method for changing the compression format of a media stream. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method is performed in the conversion unit 220. FIG. 9( a) illustrates a method for converting frames of input stream 901 to frames of an intermediate compressed domain format. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method is performed in the frame converter 310. The input stream 901 is a media stream of a first compression format, and the frames of the input stream are compressed according to the first compression format. For the purposes of illustration, the input stream is discussed as being of a generalized form common among a variety of compression formats. The methods described herein are useful for a variety of compression formats, some of which may differ from the generalized format described herein for the purposes of illustration. It will be apparent to one of skill in the art that the techniques may be applied to various compression formats without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Frames of the input stream 901 comprise a motion vector 904 and a compressed domain error term 902. The motion vector describes, generally in the spatial domain, how macroblocks from one frame are related to macroblocks of a previous or subsequent frame. The compressed domain error term 902 describes, generally in the compressed domain, how the result of the application of the motion vector 904 should be modified to improve the fidelity of the resulting frame. For example, the compressed domain error term 902 may include information related to transients not encoded in the motion vector 904.

The frame converter 310 applies 906 the motion vector 904 in the compressed domain. The frame converter 310 processes macroblocks of the previous compressed domain frame (for example, the intermediate format compressed domain frame 912) according to the directives of the motion vector 904 to produce a compressed domain macroblock 908.

The frame converter 310 performs compressed domain addition 910 on the compressed domain macroblock 908 and the compressed domain error term 902. A method for compressed domain addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, is described herein with reference to FIG. 12. The compressed domain addition 910 results in a frame in intermediate compressed domain format 912. The intermediate stream 913 is formed by a series of frames in intermediate compressed domain format 912. Frames in the intermediate compressed domain format 912 are compressed using intraframe compression, and typically are not compressed using interframe compression. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the intermediate stream 913 also includes a series of motion vectors 904 along with other parameters such as quantization factor and block mode. Motion vectors 904 can be used in subsequent blocks of conversion unit 220. Thus, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a frame in the intermediate compressed domain format beneficially contains the information to represent that frame without dependence on other frames, while at the same time saving space and bandwidth by containing that information in a compressed manner, for example, by storing it in the compressed domain.

FIG. 9( b) illustrates a method for converting frames in intermediate compressed domain format to frames of a second compression format. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method is performed in the encoder 340. The output stream 924 is a media stream of a second compression format, and the frames of the output stream 924 are compressed according to the second compression format. For the purposes of illustration, the output stream 924 is discussed as being of a generalized form common among a variety of compression formats. The methods described herein are useful for a variety of compression formats, some of which may differ from the generalized standard described herein for the purposes of illustration. It will be apparent to one of skill in the art that the techniques may be applied to various compression formats without departing from the scope of the present invention.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the intermediate stream 913 includes the motion vector 904, and the encoder 340 reuses the motion vector 904 from the input stream 901 for the output stream 924. Reusing the motion vector 904 beneficially reduces the computation involved in encoding the intermediate stream.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the intermediate stream 913 includes other compression parameters such as quantization and block mode, and the encoder 340 reuses the motion these parameters from the input stream 901 for the output stream 924. Reusing compression parameters such as quantization and block mode beneficially reduces the computation involved in encoding the intermediate stream.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the encoder 340 refines 916 the motion vector 904 to produce a motion vector 918. Refining 916 the motion vector 904 is beneficial for transcaling, or for handling conversions from a first compression standard to a second compression standard in which the first compression standard has different specifications for the size or definition of macroblocks than the second compression standard. For example, if the motion vectors of the first standard are not directly compatible with the motion vectors of the second standard, refining the motion vectors beneficially allows the motion vectors compliant with the second standard to be calculated efficiently. In some circumstances, the motion vector 918 may be equivalent to the motion vector 904.

The encoder 340 applies 920 the motion vector 918 in the compressed domain. The encoder 340 processes macroblocks of the previous compressed domain frame (for example, the intermediate format compressed domain frame 912) according to the directives of the motion vector 918 to produce a compressed domain macroblock 921.

The encoder 340 subtracts 923 the compressed domain macroblock 921 from the frame in intermediate compressed domain format 912 to produce a compressed domain error term 922. The frame in intermediate compressed domain format 912 may be the same as the frame in intermediate compressed domain format 912, or it may be different, for example, if a transformation, such as image enhancement or scaling, has been performed in the intermediate format compressed domain. The compressed domain error term 922 describes, generally in the compressed domain, how the result of the application of the motion vector 918 should be modified to improve the fidelity of the resulting frame. A method for subtracting 923 the compressed domain macroblock 921 from the frame in intermediate compressed domain format 912 is described herein with reference to FIG. 12. The encoder 340 includes the motion vector 918 and the compressed domain error term 922 in the output stream 924.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing in the compressed domain a frame of media of a first format to produce a frame of media in an intermediate compressed domain format. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method is performed by the frame converter 310.

The frame converter 310 receives 1002 a frame of compressed media. The frame converter 310 performs 1004 lossless decompression on the frame of compressed media. For example, the frame converter 310 reverses entropy encoding or other compression techniques as prescribed by the format of the compressed media. The frame converter 310 scales 1005 the samples of the compressed media. For example, the frame converter 310 inverse quantizes the samples according to scale factors prescribed by the format of the compressed media or as contained in the frame.

The frame converter 310 determines 1006 if the frame contains interframe compression. If the frame does not contain interframe compression, motion compensation is not implemented and the frame converter 310 returns 1008 the frame with intraframe compression intact. For example, if the frame is a reference frame (such as an I frame), generally no motion vectors will be applied. If the frame does contain interframe compression, the frame converter 310 applies motion vectors 1012 in the compressed domain. The frame converter 310 adds 1014 an error term in the compressed domain, resulting in the decompression of interframe compression. The frame converter 310 returns 1008 the frame with intraframe compression intact.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating a method for processing in the compressed domain a frame of media in an intermediate compressed domain format to produce a frame of media in a second format. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method is performed by the encoder 340.

The encoder 340 receives 1102 a frame in an intermediate compressed domain format. For example, the encoder 340 may receive a frame with intraframe compression intact. The frame received 1102 by the encoder 340 may be analogous to the frame returned 1008 by the frame converter 310, or it may be a modified version of the frame returned 1008 by the frame converter 310.

The encoder 340 determines 1104 if interframe compression should be applied. If the encoder 340 determines 1104 that interframe compression should be applied, the encoder 340 proceeds to scaling 1116 the frame. Not applying interframe compression to a frame may be desirable, for example, if the frame originated from a reference frame in the input stream 901, or if it the output stream 924 is of a compression format that does not use interframe compression.

If the encoder 340 determines 1004 that interframe compression should be applied, the encoder receives 1106 the associated motion vector. Optionally, the encoder 340 refines 1108 the motion vector. Refining the motion vector 1108 is beneficial for example, in cases in which the frame has been image enhanced or transcaled. If no motion vector is available for a frame, refining 1108 may include generating motion vectors for the frame.

The encoder applies 1110 the motion vector in the compressed domain and calculates 1112 an error term.

The encoder scales 1116 the frame and performs lossless compression 1118. For example, the encoder may quantize coefficients of the frame and perform entropy coding in accordance with the compression format of the output stream 924.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a method for combining two inputs in the compressed domain. The method for combining two inputs is beneficial for implementing the frame converter 310 and the decoder 340. A compressed domain input 1202 is scaled 1206 and combined with a scaled 1208 compressed domain input 1204 producing a compressed domain output 1204. A compressed domain technique such as the one illustrated in FIG. 12 may be useful in a variety of application. For example, the frame converter 310 may use the method described herein for inverse quantizing the compressed domain macroblock 908 and the compressed domain error term 902 and adding the two results in the compressed domain to produce a frame in intermediate compressed domain format. Alternatively, the encoder 340 may use the method described herein for quantizing the compressed domain macroblock 921 and the frame in intermediate format compressed domain format 912 and subtracting the result of one from another to produce a compressed domain error term. (The scale 1208, for example, may be used to negate the compressed domain input 1204 to produce a subtraction.)

Alternatively, the method for combining two inputs is useful for operations such as efficiently blitting in the compressed domain a character onto an image, or layering in the compressed domain an image on top of another image. For example, using methods such as those described herein, a graphic can be layered on top of video in the compressed domain. Multiple images can be beneficially layered at multiple levels, on top or underneath video images and in any order.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the compressed domain input 1202 is a compressed domain representation of an image. The image can be, for example, a graphic or a frame of video, but other examples will be apparent to one of skill in the art. The compressed domain input 1204 is a compressed domain representation of a character for which it is desired to superimpose on top of the image. The character can be, for example, a graphic or another frame of video, but other examples will be apparent to one of skill in the art. The scale function 1206 is a multiply by some factor α and the scale function 1208 is a multiply by some factor 1−α. The resulting multiplications and addition results in a compressed domain output 1204 that is the compressed domain representation of either the character superimposed on the image or the image layered on top of the character. Using the method described herein to blit characters (or layer characters or video) in the compressed domain performs blitting or layering operations efficiently, allows for the reuse of motion compensation hardware, and improves over traditional techniques requiring a transformation of the input image to the spatial domain.

The order in which the steps of the methods of the present invention are performed is purely illustrative in nature. The steps can be performed in any order or in parallel, unless otherwise indicated by the present disclosure. The methods of the present invention may be performed in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof operating on a single computer or multiple computers of any type. Software embodying the present invention may comprise computer instructions in any form (e.g., source code, object code, interpreted code, etc.) stored in any computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic media, a compact disc, a DVD, etc.). Such software may also be in the form of an electrical data signal embodied in a carrier wave propagating on a conductive medium or in the form of light pulses that propagate through an optical fiber.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspect and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications, as fall within the true spirit of this invention. For example, the systems and methods of the present invention can be used to establish a connection between a client computer and a server computer using any type of stateless protocol.

In the above description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the invention.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

Some portions of the detailed description are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.

The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus can be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it can comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of disk including floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus.

The algorithms and modules presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems can be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatuses to perform the method steps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will appear from the description below. In addition, the present invention is not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages can be used to implement the teachings of the invention as described herein. Furthermore, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art, the modules, features, attributes, methodologies, and other aspects of the invention can be implemented as software, hardware, firmware or any combination of the three. Of course, wherever a component of the present invention is implemented as software, the component can be implemented as a standalone program, as part of a larger program, as a plurality of separate programs, as a statically or dynamically linked library, as a kernel loadable module, as a device driver, and/or in every and any other way known now or in the future to those of skill in the art of computer programming. Additionally, the present invention is in no way limited to implementation in any specific operating system or environment.

It will be understood by those skilled in the relevant art that the above-described implementations are merely exemplary, and many changes can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications that come within the true spirit and scope of this invention. 

1. An integrated circuit for converting media streams for transport over a network, comprising: a media processing unit, coupled to the network to receive information on network conditions, the media processing unit configured to: extract motion parameters from an input media stream in a first compressed format responsive to receiving the input media stream, the first compressed format including input frames that are interframe compressed and intraframe compressed; convert the input media stream in the first compressed format into an intermediate media stream in a second format by applying the extracted motion parameters to the input frames and generating intermediate frames that are intraframe compressed but not interframe compressed; perform processing on the intermediate frames based on the network conditions information; and encode the processed intermediate media stream into an output media stream in a third compressed format for transport over the network by applying the extracted motion parameters to the processed intermediate media stream, the third compressed format including processed frames that are interframe compressed and intraframe compressed.
 2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the network conditions information comprises information related to capabilities of a screen in a networked device receiving the output media stream over the network.
 3. The integrated circuit of claim 2, wherein the display capabilities comprise an output resolution of the networked device.
 4. The integrated circuit of claim 2, wherein the display capabilities comprise a decoding capability of the networked device.
 5. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the network conditions information comprise information related to throughput of the network.
 6. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the media processing unit comprises: a controller configured to determine scaling parameters based on the network conditions information; and a scaler configured to scale frames in the intermediate media stream for encoding based on the scaling parameters.
 7. The integrated circuit of claim 6, wherein the scaler is further configured to scale the frames based on the motion parameters.
 8. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the media processing unit is further configured to generate encoding parameters and quantization parameters for encoding the output media stream based on the network conditions information.
 9. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the media processing unit is configured to generate macroblock mode decision parameters for encoding frames of the output media stream.
 10. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising: a network conditions detector, coupled to the media processing unit, the network conditions detector configured to insert probe packets into an outgoing packet stream to the network, and to analyze response packets in an incoming packet stream from the network, to determine network conditions.
 11. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the response packets are generated by a networked device receiving the output media stream.
 12. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the network conditions detector measures a round trip time for a probe packet and a response packet in response to the probe packet.
 13. A method for converting media streams in an integrated circuit for transport over a network, comprising: receiving information on network conditions of the network; receiving an input media stream in a first compressed format including input frames that are interframe compressed and intraframe compressed; extracting motion parameters from an input media stream responsive to receiving the input media stream; converting, by a media processing unit in the integrated circuit, the input media stream in the first compressed format into an intermediate media stream in a second format by applying the extracted motion parameters to the input frames and generating intermediate frames that are intraframe compressed but not interframe compressed; performing, by the media processing unit, processing on the intermediate frames based on the network conditions information; and encoding, by the media processing unit, the processed intermediate media stream into an output media stream in a third compressed format for transport over the network by applying the extracted motion parameters to the processed intermediate media stream, the third compressed format including processed frames that are interframe compressed and intraframe compressed.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the network conditions information comprises information related to display capabilities of a networked device.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the display capabilities comprise an output resolution of the networked device.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the display capabilities comprise a decoding capability of the networked device.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the network conditions information comprise information related to throughput of the network.
 18. The method of claim 13, further comprising: determining scale parameters based on the network conditions information; and scaling frames in the intermediate media stream for encoding based on the scaling parameters.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the scaling of the frames is based further on the extracted motion parameters.
 20. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating encoding parameters and quantization parameters for encoding the output media stream based on the network conditions information.
 21. The method of claim 13, further comprising generating macroblock mode decision parameters for encoding frames of the output media stream.
 22. The method of claim 13, further comprising: inserting probe packets into an outgoing packet stream to the network; and analyzing response packets in an incoming packet stream from the network, to determine network conditions.
 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising: prompting a response packet from a networked device receiving the output media stream, the response packet containing information related to conditions of the networked device.
 24. The method of claim 22, further comprising: measuring a round trip time for a probe packet and a response packet in response to the probe packet.
 25. A system for converting media streams for transport over a network, comprising: an integrated circuit coupled to the network and comprising a media processing unit coupled to receive information on network conditions of a network processing unit, the media processing unit configured to: extract motion parameters from an input media stream in a first compressed format responsive to receiving the input media stream, the first compressed format including input frames that are interframe compressed and intraframe compressed; convert the input media stream in the first compressed format into an intermediate media stream in a second format by applying the extracted motion parameters to the input frames and generating intermediate frames that are intraframe compressed but not interframe compressed; perform processing on the intermediate frames based on the network conditions information; and encode the processed intermediate media stream into an output media stream in a third compressed format for transport over the network by applying the extracted motion parameters to the processed intermediate media stream, the third compressed format including processed frames that are interframe compressed and intraframe compressed ; and a networked device coupled to the network to receive the output media stream, the networked device configured to send response packets to the network processing unit in response to probe packets received from the integrated circuit, the response packets containing information related to display capabilities of the networked device.
 26. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein applying the extracted motion parameters to the processed intermediate media stream comprises reusing or refining the extracted motion parameters.
 27. The method of claim 13, wherein applying the extracted motion parameters to the processed intermediate media stream comprises reusing or refining the extracted motion parameters.
 28. The system of claim 25, wherein applying the extracted motion parameters to the processed intermediate media stream comprises reusing or refining the extracted motion parameters.
 29. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the processing on the intermediate frames comprises modifying at least one of bitrate, frame rate and resolution.
 30. The method of claim 13, wherein the processing on the intermediate frames comprises modifying at least one of bitrate, frame rate and resolution.
 31. The system of claim 25, wherein the processing on the intermediate frames comprises modifying at least one of bitrate, frame rate and resolution. 